The border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind.
A force of five thousand shinobi advanced at high speed.
They were Kirigakure's troops—the hidden village of the Land of Water, the only one among the Five Great Nations that had yet to fully enter the war.
"What the hell is the Third Mizukage thinking?"
"Weren't we supposed to attack Sunagakure while their military strength was weakened?"
"We're already close to the Land of Wind. Why are we suddenly changing course to attack the Land of Fire?"
Fuguki Suikazan, who was running near the front of the formation, turned his head and questioned Yagura while keeping pace.
The other members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist also glanced over.
The Third Mizukage had clearly stated that their target was Sunagakure.
Yet just as they were about to reach the Land of Wind, Yagura suddenly arrived with the Mizukage's newest order.
The order demanded that they change course and launch a direct attack on the Land of Fire.
Naturally, none of them could understand it.
If their target was the Land of Fire, why make such a long detour?
Wasn't this just wasting their own strength?
"I don't know the full reason."
Yagura shook his head, his expression calm but slightly tense.
"But if I had to guess… the Third Mizukage-sama is probably trying to catch Konoha off guard."
In truth, Yagura had also been confused when he received the order.
But after thinking it over, he came up with a reason that made sense.
Perhaps the Third Mizukage's real goal had never been Sunagakure.
Perhaps the entire march toward the Land of Wind was only a feint.
If everyone believed Kirigakure was going to attack Sunagakure, then Konoha would likely think the same.
And if Kirigakure suddenly changed course at the last moment and struck the Land of Fire from an unexpected direction, they might truly be able to catch Konoha unprepared.
"I see."
"That does sound like a diversion."
"But if that's the case, was it really necessary to hide it even from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
Jūzō Biwa nodded, then frowned slightly, clearly displeased.
The others wore similar expressions.
Individually, their strength ranged from jōnin to elite jōnin.
But when all seven of them gathered together with the Seven Ninja Swords, even a Kage-level shinobi would have to be cautious around them.
Because of that, they naturally had their pride.
Yet even they had been kept in the dark about such an important operation.
Of course they were dissatisfied.
"The Third Mizukage-sama was probably being cautious."
Seeing all seven of them looking at him with questioning eyes, Yagura's brows tightened as he answered in a flat voice.
These men had always relied on their strength to act arrogantly in Kirigakure.
Yagura had long been unhappy with them.
And now, seeing them openly question the Mizukage's orders only made that irritation worse.
In terms of individual strength, Yagura could confidently suppress any one of them.
But if all seven joined forces, even he would not be their match.
After all, at this point, he had not yet become the Three-Tails' jinchūriki.
His strength was still only at the level of an elite jōnin.
Because of that, no matter how unhappy he felt, he could only suppress it for now.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen noticed Yagura's expression and understood that he was displeased with them.
After exchanging glances, they fell silent.
However, none of them knew the truth.
At that very moment, the Third Mizukage had already fallen under Uchiha Madara's control.
And this strategy of taking a long detour to attack Konoha had been ordered by Madara himself.
Inside the conference room of the Hokage Building.
Mikoto lay across the table with a bored expression, staring blankly at the Den Den Mushi in front of her.
Because the Den Den Mushi had been given to her by Yagami, it had temporarily been requisitioned by the Third Hokage.
However, Hiruzen had still given Mikoto the right to answer it first, leaving its management in her hands.
She had not received a call from Yagami for three days.
Because of that, she looked a little listless.
Everyone in the conference room noticed her state, but no one said anything.
After all, it was obvious.
The girl was lovesick.
"Buru buru buru… Buru buru buru…"
Just as Mikoto's thoughts were drifting far away, the Den Den Mushi suddenly rang, startling her.
The moment she came back to her senses, joy immediately spread across her face.
"Buru buru… kacha!"
"Moshi moshi, is that you, Yagami-kun?"
The Den Den Mushi had only rung a second time before Mikoto hurriedly picked it up.
Although every call usually only allowed her to exchange a few words with Yagami, even that was enough to make her happy for quite a while.
The higher-ups in the conference room immediately stopped talking when they heard the Den Den Mushi ring.
One by one, they turned toward Mikoto and quietly listened.
"Mikoto, it's me."
"Are the village leaders in the conference room?"
Yagami deliberately softened his voice as he spoke.
Earlier, when everyone had been busy reestablishing Konoha's battlefield positions, Yagami had suddenly taken Kushina away to do what the two of them loved doing.
Because of that, Kushina was currently resting back at their camp and had not come to participate in this meeting.
With Kushina absent, Yagami naturally had no concerns.
As for the jōnin inside the conference room, he ignored them entirely.
He also believed no one there would be stupid enough to run off and report something to Kushina.
"Yes, Yagami-kun. Wait a moment."
Hearing that Yagami's voice was gentler than usual, Mikoto felt as if honey had melted in her chest.
Her own voice softened as well.
After answering him, she reluctantly handed the Den Den Mushi to the Third Hokage.
"Ahem."
Seeing Mikoto look at him with faint resentment, Sarutobi Hiruzen could only cough awkwardly.
Originally, Yagami's Den Den Mushi had been meant for him and Mikoto to ease their longing for each other.
But Hiruzen had no choice.
On the battlefield, a communication tool like this was simply too important.
Even if he had to shamelessly borrow it with his old face, he had to use it.
"Yagami, I'm here. What happened?"
After taking the Den Den Mushi from Mikoto, Hiruzen spoke seriously.
"We've arrived at the battlefield against Iwagakure's forces near the Land of Wind. I'm calling to report in."
Seeing the Den Den Mushi mimic Hiruzen's appearance, Yagami went straight to the point.
"What? Already?"
The moment Yagami finished speaking, surprised voices rang out in the Hokage conference room.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen looked stunned.
According to their estimated schedule, Yagami and the reinforcements should not have arrived until tomorrow.
"We passed through the Land of Rain directly, so we saved a lot of time on the route."
Hearing their confusion, Yagami explained honestly.
"What?! The Land of Rain?"
"Hanzō didn't discover you?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was shocked.
They were in the middle of a war.
Marching through another country without permission was extremely dangerous.
One careless move could easily spark a conflict between both sides.
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